When securing the door of a safe or other security enclosure, it is important to ensure that each possible method for opening the safe is guarded against unauthorized entry. In attempts to accomplish this, numerous different methods have been developed for ensuring that the door of the safe may not be easily opened, as the door is often the most vulnerable portion of the safe. If a burglar, thief or vandal is able to pry the door of the safe open, the structural integrity of the remainder of the safe or security enclosure becomes irrelevant. In attempts to overcome this concern, numerous arrangements have been made which cause a plurality of locking bolts or pins to extend from one or more sides of the door and into the remainder of the safe so as to prevent the door from being opened by prying, punching or some other externally-applied force.
While the use of locking bolts improves the security of the door, the present arrangements for engaging the locking bolts often provide insufficient protection, are difficult to operate, or are overly expensive. Other systems provide adequate protection, but are needlessly complex and have numerous moving parts which interact together in a rough or inefficient manner. If the parts fail, moreover, the owner of the safe may be unable to retrieve his or her belongings without unnecessary delay and the possibility of destroying the safe.
Thus, a need continues to exist for simple, efficient and more cost-effective locking mechanisms and methods for engaging the locking bolts on a safe door with the remainder of the safe. Such mechanisms would minimize the number of moving parts and improve their efficiency and smoothness during operation while continuing to provide secure protection against the door of the safe being opened without authorization.